What's that classic quote? Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt? Stephen A. Smith, take note.

The ESPN personality has gotten his way into a mini war with the NASCAR industry over the last week, over comments he made disparaging drivers' athleticism. Specifically, calling them 'not athletes'.

A number of drivers and other people in the sport have hit back hard at those comments, with three-time champion Joey Logano saying 'people like that have to make comments to stay relevant'.

Smith appears to have taken that particular comment to heart, calling out Logano directly and telling him to get online and look him up. 'Check the news. Google me. I don’t have that concern'.

READ MORE: Joey Logano hits back after controversial Stephen A. Smith comments

Stephen A. tells Logano 'I don't know you from a can of paint'

Of course, checking the news and searching for the First Take star online broadly proves Logano's point – that despite his long career and great wealth (his $20m a year contract makes him ESPN's highest paid personality), people only tune in for the outrageous takes. Without those...well, he isn't Stephen A. Smith.

“Let me speak directly to Mr. Joey Logano," he said on his Monday radio show. "I don’t know you from a can of paint. Why can’t I just have an opinion about NASCAR?

"Why do I have to be doing it to stay relevant? My television show has been No. 1 in the morning for 14 straight years. I’m on television and radio and my career spans 30 years.

“What do you mean? ‘To get a job’ or ‘to keep a job’. Check the news. Google me. I don’t have that concern. I’ve been blessed by God enough not to have that concern… Do I look like somebody that needs to be relevant? I am relevant.”

Hamlin? Hamilton?

Smith also admitted that he doesn't keep up with what's happening in NASCAR or watch the sport – perfect for forming opinions on it, surely – and then claimed he only visited the 23XI 'Airspeed' facility because of Michael Jordan and...'Hamilton'?

“I don’t follow NASCAR. I don’t watch it. I only visited Michael Jordan’s facility … because of him and Hamilton, and stuff like that, in North Carolina a little over a year ago or so. I certainly root for him, and I root for them.”

Now, it's impossible to know for certain why he mixed up Denny Hamlin's name with Lewis Hamilton's. He probably doesn't think that the F1 star is in business with Michael Jordan. It might well have just been a slip of the tongue. But...that's a pretty unfortunate slip of the tongue to make when people are already hammering you for not knowing what you're talking about.

READ MORE: Denny Hamlin opens up on JGR-23XI conflict